A newly formed extension of Eimei Kawakami's teaching and his Japan temple- Kunimiyama Daikoku-ji. From the website it seems like Kawakami-san makes visits in addition to this groups regular activities. I have yet to meet with the priest leading the America group...but I hear he is enthusiastic about spreading esoteric Buddhism in the bay area.

They offer a variety of Mikkyo training and a temporary tokudo in addition to the life long priest ordination.

This is a fringe group, not recognized by the shingon establishment. One that also ordains people without training, including children and claims people are posessed by monkey demons.

The master is now dead too. I know the California guy. Hes jut a businessman sent by the late master to propogate. Nice guy, but I wouldn't call this actual shingon. Neither would any recognized shingon sect.

Ah, I don't know much about their tradition or founder. I have only met the priest (in San Jose) once and we both gave lectures on Tendai and Shingon in the same Japanese history class at USF. So I only know of his activities peripherally.

He is quite active in teaching "mikkyo zen" though. Ajikan, renamed. A Taichung monastery in Sunnyvale named themselves "Sunnyvale Zen Center" when actually they are a Taiwanese center and not Japanese Zen...mostly because of name recognition. So said the head monk there. Side track I know...but interesting to note the use of Zen in it's general meaning because of marketing strength...

So would it be better to say this is an independent school that broke away from Shingon-shu? Much like Shinnyo-en? Where did their founder originally train?

Not to beat a proverbial horse to death, but the six Shingon temples on the West Coast and Hawaii have official or semi-official status, either from Koyasan Kongobu-ji or another auxiliary organization. I cannot vouch for the authenticity of the San Jose organization since I don't have any further info on their current activities. Although it is not touted as much, the Los Angeles Betsuin might be where you would want to look first. Professor Yoshito Hakeda, author of Kukai: Major Works was a minister there.